Double duty floor dividing strip



May 9, 1933. ss 1,908,340

DOUBLE DUTY FLOOR DIVIDING STRIP Filed Sept. 9, 1931 O INVENTOR (fiIJVl/U/ ains"! BY is ATTORNEY Patented May 9, 1933 i UNITED. STATES PAsQUALE GALASSI, or new YORK, N. Y;

DOUBLE DUTY FLOOR DIVIDING STRIP Application filedsepte mber 9, 1931. serial No. 561,946Q i This invention relates to improvements in the construction of floors comprising ad o1ning panels of diflerentthickness or height.

More particularly the invention refers to improvements in the construction of dividing strips adapted for use in connection With suchfioors.

In certain types of floors it is desirable to produce combination effects, entailing the 0 use of different materials for different panels. For instance, in some cases it isdesirableto provide a terrazzo border and a line oleum center; insome other cases, it may be desirable to provide a checkered designin- 5 eluding terrazzo panels and marble slabs interposed therebetvveen; in. other cases again, a combination of terrazzo and Wood or tile panels may be used.

In these types of floors the thickness of the materials employed in other than terrazzo panels or units is generally dlfi'erent from the height of the upper layer in said-ter razzo panels or units. In order to enhance.

their appearance, it is desirable to, use dividing strips also in such types of floors;-

their use is also desirable in order to local ize cracks in the terrazzo panels or units.

It is, therefore, desirable in such cases to provide strips having anchoring and positioning means at each side thereof, the anchoring and, positioning means at one sidebe ing' adapted for use in connectlon With the terrazzo panels or units, and the anchoring and positioning. means at the other slde being especially designed for use w th the materials employed for the other units.

When linoleum panels are used .in combination Withterrazzo or cementitious panels, the edges of the linoleum panels should preferablybe supported along their entire length. The dividing strips used,: therefore, should preferably be formed With a continuous flange laterally spaced from the body there of, said flange being vertically spaced from the upper edge of the strip a distance corresponding to the thickness of the linoleum panels. 7 ff However, While the provision of a flange extending laterally of a strip throughout its entire length is a very desirable feature, be-

cause the flange serves the two-fold purpose; of providing a support for the edge O fjl'lhe laminated material forming the adjoining panel, and increasing thejrig-idity of; the strip, I have found inpracticethat when the flange is] made integral with the upper? portion of the strip, the cost of production; is rather high because said :upper portion is generally made of brass or-other metal" which is likely to be asor more expensive ha brass I H.

Considerationsof economy in costof m u ufacture have, therefore, lead tothe' adop' tion of dividing strips composed of up per and a-lovver section permanently cons, nected to eachother along their inner edges 1n connection with terrazzo'floors. lhesa in ej considerations prevail vvhere combination floors are-concerned and furthermore, in the latter caseit is also desirable for] the lower, section to be made integral with aglongig tudinal continuous laterally extending flange, in order; to simplifyas'much as (po sible the production'ofthelupper sectionj .i

and in order to reduce to a miniinuni the, amount of material. required therefor? By my present invention I ha e sOuglit to retain all the-advantages pertainingtoja bi-metallic strip formed with a continuous longitudinal flange, at the same'timefsim-j:

plifying .its construction and, to a minimum its cost of production. The primary ob ect offthis invention ijsf accordingly to provide. a 'd'ividingfstrip; for:

combination floors, said strip beingco nposedj ofan upperand a lower section permanently 1 connected to each other, the. lower section I being formed both With a'longitudinalconfi tinuous flange-extending atone side of the;

upper edge thereof, and vv'it hj positioning means vertically spaced' from said flange lat: erally extending from the body ofsaid lower 1 section at theside opposite theffiange.

Anotherobject' is to provideja bi-metallic;

floor strip composed of an upper andjalower' section, adapted for use in combination. floors of the characterspecified saidstrip being of relatively simple and sturdy con struction, entailing for its produgctionthe use of a minimum quantity of metal, said strip being particularly adapted for use in combination floors comprising terrazzo panels or sections and adjoining panels or sections made of laminated material, such as linoleum, tile and marble, etc.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a strip for combination floors, in which both the upperand the lower section are provided with a laterally extending flange;

Figs. 2 to 9 are fragmentary views in perspective of various bi-metallic strips embodying m invention, in which the lower section is ormed with a continuous longitudinal flange, extending laterally of the upper or inner edge thereof, and is furthermore provided with positioning means extending laterally of the body thereof at the side opposite said flange, the two sections composing the strip being permanently connected along their inner edges by different types of joints; 7

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view in perspective of an alternative type of bi-metallic strip in which the lower section is formed with a stepped longitudinal flange, extending laterally thereof, said flange having two vertically spaced longitudinal surfaces, extending one at each side of the line of junction between thelower and upper section;

'Fig. 11 is an exploded view of an alterna tive type of strip, formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced laterally extending lugs in place of the continuous flange shown in the other figures; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary vertical cross section of a combination floor showing a dividing strip of the type shown in Fig. 9

in position.

The strip illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises an upper section 20 and a lower section 21, permanently connected therewith. The upper section consists of an angle bar having a vertical rib portion formed with an uninterrupted upper edge 22 and a flange 23 extending laterally of the lower edge of said vertical rib portion. The lower section is formed with a longitudinal continuous laterally extending flange 24' abutting against flange 23 of the upper section, and the two sections are connected together by punching and bending downwardly from the flanges at longitudinally spaced intervals prongs, such as shown at 25. The lower section is also formed at longitudinally spaced intervals with longitudinally spaced open top cup members 26, struck off the body thereof and laterally extending therefrom at the side opposite the flange, the upper edges of said cup members being in longitudinal alignment with one another and being vertically spaced from the upper surface of flange 23. The strip is designed so that the upper surface of flange 23 is vertically spaced from upper edge 22 a distance equivalent to the thickness of the adjoining linoleum or other panel, while the upper edges of positioning'means 26 are at a distance from said upper edge corresponding to the thickness of the adjoining panels. In the case of terrazzo panels, the vertical distance between upper edge 22 and positioning means 26 corresponds to the thick ness of the upper layer of the terrazzo section.

The strip illustrated in Fig. 2 comprises an upper section 27 consisting of a flat bar and a lower section comprising a body portion 28, the upper. or inner edge of which is bent laterally and upwardly, as shown at 29 to form a recess within which the lower edge of the upper section may be inserted, and is then bent outwardly to form a longitudinal continuous laterally extending flange 30 vertically spaced from the upper edge 31 of'upper section 27 a distance corresponding to the thickness of the material composingthe adjoining panel.

At the side opposite the flange the lower section is furthermore formed with ears or lugs 32, determining the depth of immersion of the strip through the lower layer of a terrazzo or similar section, so that said lugs or ears are vertically spaced from the upper edge ot the strip a distance equivalent to the thickness of the upper layer of the terrazzo section.

The same conditions with respect 'to the flange and positioning means obtain in all the types of strips shown in Figs. 3 to 9, their common characteristic being that in all cases the lower section is formed with a longitudinal continuous laterally extending flange extending at one side. of the body thereof and positioning means vertically spdaced therefrom extending at the opposite s1 e.

These figures are merelyillustrative of the fact that the two sections of the strip can be joined to each other in a number of different ways.

Thus, for instance, in the case of Fig. 2, the two sections are connected to each other by welding or soldering operations along their adjoining edges. Y

In Fig. 3 the upper section 33 is formed with a longitudinal groove 34 in proximity of its lower edge and the lower section 35 is formed with lugs 36, struck ofl' at spaced intervals from the body thereof and bent upwardly to embrace the lower edge of the upper section and inwardly to enter the groove, the lower edge of the upper section latest overlapping the flanged edge of the lower section.' j

In Fig.4 the upper section 37 is formed witha longitudinal groove along its lower surface and the lower section 38 is formed at longitudinally spaced intervals with upwardly extending lugs or tongues 39, forced within said groove with a tight fit.

In Fig. the lower section 40 is provided at spaced intervals with hookshap'ed lugs, such as 41, having their outer ends bent upwardly and inwardly, their inwardly bent endsppenetratingcorresponding openings 42, provided in proximityof the lower edge of upper section 43. i M

In this case, the upper section is shown consisting of a relatively thick bar 44' having a relatively thin rib portion 45, depending therefrom.

The strip shown in Fig. 6 is substantially of the same construction except that the upper section 46 is shown consisting of a flat bar and the positioningmeans provided in 'thedower section are shown in the form of longitudinally spaced ears or lugs 47,

acting also as additional supports for the lower edge'48 of the upper section.

The same feature is illustrated in Fig. 7,

a in which, however, the connection between. 30

the two sections is obtained by means of lugs such as 49, extendin laterally of the lower section'and insertec through openings 50 provided in the up 381: section 51, the lower ends ofsaid lugs eingbent downwardly, as shown at 52, to abut against the outer surface of the upper section.

In Fig. 8 I show" the upper section 53 connected'to the lower section 54 by means of'rivets, such as 55.

In Fig. 9 I show'the upper section 56 con sisting' of a flat'bar, the lower edge of which rests directly uponjthe top of longitudinal fiange'57 'of' the'lower section 58, th'e 'two" sections being connected to eachother by 'means of soldering or welding, as shown In Fig; 10 I show an alternative type of strip inwhich the positioning means at the -,side 'opposite the laterally extending flange 60 is constituted'by a downward step 61of the'same flange, which thus forms a surface vertically spaced from flange 60 and extending at the opposite side with respect to the upper section of thestrip. With respectto the body 62 of the lower section, however, both flange sections extend at the same side. i j

This illustrates the fact that the expression, the side opposite the flange used throughout the specification and claims should be understood as applying to the line of division between adjoining panels formed by the upper section.

l In Fig. 11 I illustrate an alternative fornr of strip of which 63 represents the upper section represents the lower section, in which'the lower section" is formed with alpluraljity oflongitudinally spaced laterally extending lugs 65 in place of the flange.

This type of construction is not very satisfactory for use in connection with linoleum; panelsbut might be suitable in connection with panels in the form of slabs, such as marble panels, tiles, etc.

. v Fig. 12 illustrates the u se of a strip of the type shown in Fig. 9. In the same 66' I designates a floor foundation, 67 is the lower layer o a terrazzo panel and 68 is the'upper layer, the open cupmember 69 defining the thickness of the upper layer and determining the depth of insertion of the strip within the lower layer. As the side'opposite positioning means 69, 7O designates a cement itious lowerlayer reaching up to the flange 71, and 72 is a linoleum panel resting upon said flange and havingits edge by the side of the upper-section 78.

The constructional details of my improved strip may vary from tho'se' shown without departing from the inventive idea; the drawing will therefore be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense. Accordingly, 'I reserve the right to carry my invention "into practice, in all those ways and manners the appended claims.

I claim I 1. A floor strip of the character described, comprising'fa metal strip adapted to be set edgewise between two adjoining floor panels havingadiiferent thicknem from each other, said strip consisting of an upper and a lower' section permanently connected to each which may enter, fairly, into the scope of other, and being provided with positioning means laterally extending ateach side of the line of junction of the lower with the uppersection, thepositioning means at one side being at a distancefrom the upper edgeof the completed strip, different from thatof said strip having an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and being formed with positioning means extending laterally of the line I of junction of the lower with the upper sec tion at the side opposite said flange, said flangeand said positioning means being at a distance'from the upper edge of the comprotected im the positioning means at the other side, to

er section permanently connected to each 1 95 tending from the body thereof at the side v -els havlng a different thickness from each other, said strip having an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and being provided with positioning means laterally extending from the body thereof at the side opposite said flange, said positioning means being vertically spaced from said flange, said'flange and csaid'positioning means being at a distance from the upper edge of the completed strip, respectively, to correspond to the thickness of the panels adjoining thereto, after completion of the floor in which said strip is used, both said flangeand said positioning means being integral with said lower section, said flange extending from the inner edge thereof. 7 j I 4. A floor strip of the character described, comprising a metal strip adapted to be set edgewise between two adjoining floor panels having a different thickness from each other, said strip consisting of an upper and a low- :er section permanently connected to each other, SZLIdl strip having an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and being provided with positioning means struck off and laterally exopposite said flange, said positioning means being vertically spaced from said flange, said flange and said positioning means being at a distance from the upper edge of the com- 1 pleted strip, respectively, to correspond to the thickness of the panels adjoining thereto, after completion of the floor in which said strip is used, both said flange and said positioning means being integral with said lower section, said flange extending from the inner edge thereof. 7

5. A floor strip of the character described, comprising a metal strip adapted to be set edgewise between two adjoining floor panother, said strip consisting of an upper and a lower'section permanently connected to each other, said lower section having its inner edge extending laterally thereof, then vertically, then laterally in the same direction, to form an uninterrupted longitudinal stepped flange having two vertically spaced ledges extending one at each side of the line of junction of said lower with said upper section, said ledges being at a distance from the upper edge of the completed'strip, respectively, to correspond to the thickness of the panels adjoining thereto, after completion of the floor in which said strip is used.

6. Afloor strip of the character described,

comprising a metal strip adapted to be set edgewise between two adj oiningfloor panels having a different thickness from each other, said strip consisting of an upper and a lower section, said strip having an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof and being provided with tongues laterally extending frointhe body thereof at spaced intervals at the side opposite said flange, both said flange and said positioning means being integral with said" lower section, said flange extending from the lnner edge thereof, part of said tongues acting as positioning means'for the floor panels adjoining thereto, and part being bent up-s wardly and being permanently connected to said upper section. s v V 7. A floor-strip of the character described,

comprising a metal strip adaptedto be set edgewise between two adjoining floorpanels havlng a different thickness from each other,

said strip consisting of an upper and a lower section, said strip having an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof and being provided with tongues laterally extending from the body thereof at spaced intervals at the side opposite said flange, both said flange and said positioning means being integral with said lower section, said flange extending from the inner edge thereof, part of said tongues acting as positioning means for the floor panels ad oining thereto, and part being bent upwardly and laterally to interlock with said upper section, said upper section having openings in proximity of its lower edge, through which the laterally bent outer ends of said tongues can be inserted to form a permanent joint therebetween.

8. A floor strip of the character comprising a metal strip adapted to be set edgewise betweentwo adjoining floor panels having a different thickness from each other, said strip consisting of an upper and a lower section, said strip having'an uninterrupted longitudinal flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and being provided with positioning means laterally extending from the body thereof at the side opposite said flange, said positioning means being vertical. ly spaced from said flange, said flange and said positioning means being at a distance from the upper edge of the completed strip, respectively, to correspond to the thickness of the panels adjoining thereto, after completion of the floor in which said strip is used, both said flange and said positioning means being integral with said lower described,

ture.

PASQUALE GALASSI. I 

